The present invention relates generally to napkin dispensers, and more particularly to a metering napkin dispenser provided with a napkin storage magazine for receiving a stack of folded napkins and a metering member adapted to penetrate the stack to segregate a predetermined number of napkins for dispensing.
Dispensers for sheet products are known in the art; such articles may be relatively simple depending on the product and the result desired. There is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,200 to Trokhan, for example, a tissue package provided with a dispensing opening through which tissues are dispensed. There is disposed in the opening an engaging tab which separates one tissue from another when a tissue is pulled thereover by a user.
Other devices for dispensing sheet products may be more complex, for instance, when it is desired to distribute one article at a time. Illustrative in this regard are U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,746 to Andriash for a one-at-a-time coupon dispenser and U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,315 to Gremillion III et al. for a newspaper vending method and apparatus. So also, metering paper towel dispensers are typically those where a continuous roll or fan-fold sheet is advanced and cut to a desired length; see U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,345 to Marcuse et al.
Devices for dispensing stacks of folded napkins or paper towels are generally gravity feed devices, or spring biased devices where the stack is urged to a dispensing aperture by a follower, where they are pulled from the opening by a user. Various designs have been employed to prevent binding, tearing, bunching or the distribution of large clumps of napkins which can be wasteful since they will be unnecessarily discarded.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,484 to Pastore there is shown a napkin dispenser adapted to receive two stacks of napkins. The napkins are urged by respective spring members to a dispensing aperture where they may be grasped and removed by a user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,382 to Frazier et al. discloses a cabinet for dispensing paper sheets from a stack provided with a restricting means for preventing a technician from overfilling the device. Such overfilling can create unwanted pressure about the dispensing aperture and prevent proper operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,020 to Petterson et al. discloses a dispenser apparatus for serially dispensing products such as paper napkins from a stack. The dispenser apparatus includes a housing which has a radius of curvature corresponding to the radius of curvature of a stack of folded napkins. The folded napkins are of non-uniform thickness by virtue of the fact that they are unequally folded (FIG. 3) so that a stack has an inherent tendency to curve when stacked.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,092 to Morand discloses a dispenser for dispensing interleaved folded towels. The dispenser has front and back walls joined by sidewalls and a bottom wall defining a dispensing slot. The dispenser is provided with a plurality of supports projecting inwardly from the interior of the front and back walls for partially supporting substacks of paper towels in the dispenser. The supports reduce the weight carried on the bottom of each sub-stack. Further provided is a stepped bottom profile to facilitate dispensing.
Napkin dispensers are desirably relatively simple to operate and are preferably of robust and inexpensive construction. A particularly desirable feature of the invention is the dispensing of a predetermined number of napkins in response to the action of a metering member. There is provided generally in accordance with the present invention a product metering napkin dispenser including: (a) a napkin magazine for receiving a stack of folded napkins; (b) shelf means for releasably retaining the stack of napkins about a terminal portion of the napkin magazine; (c) a metering member; and (d) means for providing relative motion between the metering member and the shelf means. The dispenser is configured such that the metering member penetrates the stack of napkins a predetermined distance from the shelf means in a metering operation thereby segregating a pre-determined number of napkins from the remainder of the stack for dispensing. In some embodiments both the metering member and the shelf means are moveable with respect to the napkin storage magazine, whereas in other embodiments either the metering member or the shelf means may be stationary.
A particularly advantageous construction of the inventive dispenser includes a housing for receiving a stack of folded napkins, a movable shutter for retaining the stack in a closed position and a metering member configured so as to be capable of metering a predetermined number of napkins to be dispensed while retaining the stack in the housing during a dispensing operation. The shutter and the metering member are configured to cooperate in a dispensing operation such that the metering member penetrates the stack of napkins to segregate a predetermined number of napkins from the remainder of the stack and retain the remainder of the stack in the housing while the shutter moves to an open position and the segregated napkins are dispensed.
In one preferred embodiment a product metering, napkin dispenser includes a pivoted metering member and a trap-door shelf. There is thus provided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention: (a) a housing defining a napkin magazine for receiving a stack of folded napkins; (b) a moveable shutter hinged to the housing for retaining the stack of folded napkins in the housing in a closed position; (c) a metering member pivotally mounted on the housing and coupled to the moveable shutter, the metering member being configured so as to be capable of retaining the stack of folded napkins in the housing, wherein the moveable shutter and the metering member are positioned, configured and dimensioned to cooperate to dispense a pre-determined number of napkins in a dispensing operation whereupon pivotal motion of the metering member; (i) the metering member penetrates the stack of folded napkins a pre-determined distance from the moveable shutter in the closed position thereby segregating the pre-determined number of napkins from the remainder of napkins in the stack and thereby retaining the remainder of the napkins in the stack; and (ii) the hinged moveable shutter swings to an open position thereby releasing the pre-determined number of napkins. One way of coordinating the motion of the metering member and the hinged shutter is by way of a cam member coupled to the moveable shutter having a cam surface which engages the metering member. Most preferably, the napkin dispenser is a gravity-feed napkin dispenser.
In another preferred embodiment a metering napkin dispenser in accordance with the present invention is provided with a pair of co-rotating shutters mounted to rotate concurrently in order to dispense a pre-determined number of napkins. There is thus provided: (a) a housing defining a napkin magazine for receiving a stack of folded napkins; (b) a moveable retaining shutter mounted to rotate in a dispensing plane for retaining the stack of napkins in a closed position; (c) a metering shutter mounted to rotate concurrently with the moveable support shutter at a pre-determined distance from the support shutter, wherein the moveable shutter and the metering member are positioned configured dimensioned to cooperate to dispense a pre-determined number of napkins in a dispensing operation whereupon rotation of the retaining shutter and metering shutter: (i) the metering shutter revolves to penetrate the stack of folded napkins at a pre-determined distance from the moveable shutter thereby segregating the pre-determined number of napkins from the remainder of napkins in the stack and thereby retaining the remainder of napkins in the stack; and (ii) the moveable shutter revolves to an open position thereby releasing the pre-determined number of napkins. One convenient way to construct the dispenser in accordance with this embodiment is to mount the moveable support shutter and the metering shutter about a single rotatable shaft.
In yet another embodiment there is provided a product metering, gravity feed napkin dispenser including: (a) a housing defining a napkin magazine for receiving a stack of folded napkins; (b) a support releasably supporting the stack of folded napkins about a dispensing plane at a terminal portion of the napkin magazine; (c) a metering carriage provided with a napkin metering member projecting from the metering carriage; (d) a guide configured for directing the metering carriage during operation of the napkin dispenser, the guide having an inward portion and an outward portion, the inward portion being disposed proximately to the stack of folded napkins for guiding the metering carriage downwardly during a dispensing stroke over which napkins are dispensed and the outward portion being disposed outwardly with respect to the inward portion for guiding the metering carriage upwardly following the dispensing stroke; (e) biasing means to urge the metering carriage upwardly to a rest position; and (f) drive means coupled to the metering carriage for advancing the metering carriage along the guide in the dispensing cycle, the drive means being generally adapted to overpower the force exerted on the metering carriage by the biasing means. The guide and metering carriage are configured and arranged such that during the dispensing stroke the metering member penetrates the stack of folded napkins at a pre-determined distance above the dispensing plane and exerts a downward force on a pre-determined number of folded napkins which are thereby released from the support as the metering carriage advances downwardly along the inward portion of the guide. A particularly preferred embodiment includes a gripping member adapted to cooperate with the metering member to grip the pre-determined number of folded napkins between the metering member and the gripping member during the dispensing stroke.
In still yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of dispensing a pre-determined number of folded napkins from a napkin stack including the steps of: (a) disposing a stack of folded napkins in a napkin magazine atop a support releasably supporting the stack; (b) penetrating the stack with a metering member such that the metering member is between the pre-determined of napkins and the remainder of napkins in the stack; and (c) providing relative motion between the support and the metering member operative to dispense the pre-determined number of napkins. These and other aspects and features of the present invention are discussed in detail below.